Intellectual Honesty

Acknowledging and admitting one's limits is a sign of greatness, not weakness.

One of the hallmarks of our great Torah scholars throughout the generations has been the uncompromising loyalty to the concept of intellectual honesty in their writings and commentaries. One would almost take this for granted, for the subject that is being dealt with is Torat Emet -- the Torah of Sinai itself, that to Jews represents ultimate and eternal truth and honesty.

Nevertheless, the temptation to falsify, exaggerate, deny, plagiarize and even commit forgery is a well-known affliction in general academic circles. As such, the unswerving path of intellectual honesty that one finds in the writings of the great Torah scholars is exemplary and inspiring.

The Talmud is replete with incidents of great men who said, "I was wrong," or "I do not know." In fact, it is the mark of intellectual greatness to be able to retract previously strongly held opinions, and as well, to be able to say that one does not know everything. The temptation of scholars, because of their vast knowledge, is to maintain that they know everything. And therefore, they fall into the trap of leaving no question unanswered and no query ignored.

THE HOUR ERASER

The great Jewish legend relates that two outstanding scholars, each of whom had written a great work on the same subject of Torah law, once met. One of the books had achieved instant and wide acceptance in the scholarly world, while the other lagged far behind, even though in terms of brilliance and knowledge its author was equal to his colleague.

I spend an hour erasing some of what I wrote during the day.

The disappointed author asked the other scholar to review with him his daily schedule of study and research. After hearing the routine of his colleague, the man exclaimed: "That is my exact schedule as well, so why is your book so much more popular than mine?"

The other man answered: "I neglected to tell you that every night I spend an hour erasing some of what I wrote during the day!" As an erstwhile author, I can testify that it is much simpler to write than to erase one's words.

INTELLECTUAL HONESTY

The great champion of Jewish scholarship, and therefore of intellectual honesty in matters of Torah scholarship, is Rashi -- Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki. This towering figure in Jewish life, who lived in France close to 1,000 years ago, composed the basic commentary to the Bible and the Talmud, which has remained as the basic commentary to these books of Jewish faith until this very day.

For Jews, it is unthinkable to study the Bible or the Talmud without using Rashi's commentary. Yet, the great Talmudic scholar and genius, Rabbi Akiva Eiger, rabbi of 18th century Posen, mentions in his glosses to the Talmud that Rashi stated in 44 instances to his commentary to the Talmud: "I do not know what this means." Furthermore, in Rashi's commentary to the Bible, he states in 77 instances: "I do not know what this means."

Rashi's commentary to the Bible states 77 times: I do not know what this means.

Now Rashi could have just ignored the word, phrase or idea in question and continued with his commentary. But that would not have been intellectually honest, for it would leave the student of Rashi with the impression that the matter was so simple or obvious that it required no explanation. Rashi therefore steps forward and advises us that he does not know the word, phrase or idea that appears in the text, and we are therefore warned that there is a problem facing us.

That intellectual honesty is what makes Rashi the eternal teacher of the Jewish people.

In the 19th century, with the rise of "enlightened" scholars and "Biblical Criticism," the standards of intellectual honesty in the Jewish world were compromised. Books that were out-and-out forgeries were attributed to great scholars of past ages. Emendations of texts in the Bible and other books of Jewish faith became the rage in the world of "enlightened" Christian and Jewish scholars. However, by now, most of these shenanigans have been consigned to the ash heap of history, while Rashi and his colleagues in faith and truth continue to lead the way to a vital understanding of our Torah, its words and values.

Related Articles:

About the Author

Rabbi Berel Wein is the founder and director of the Destiny Foundation. For over 20 years, he has been identified with the popularization of Jewish history through lectures, more than 1000 audiotapes, books, seminars, educational tours and, most recently documentary films.

Rabbi Wein has authored five Jewish history books ― including Faith and Fate, the story of the Jews in the Twentieth Century ― all of which have received popular and critical acclaim. His newest book is The Oral Law of Sinai, an illustrated history of the Mishnah logic, legend & truth.

Rabbi Wein, a member of the Illinois Bar Association, is the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award from the Covenant Foundation. Most recently, Rabbi Wein received the Torah Prize Award from Machon Harav Frank in Jerusalem for his achievements in teaching Torah and spreading Judaism around the world. Rabbi Wein lives and teaches in Jerusalem. Visit his site at http://www.rabbiwein.com

Visitor Comments: 2

(2)
Shahid Waseem Janjua,
November 11, 2004 12:00 AM

prepare well your topic, boldly admit if wrong and seek the correcr answer

teachers should come up with an honest answer and suppose they don't know the answer, they should find it and come back with the answer. Also it is important to prepare and reherse before going to the class

(1)
Anonymous,
December 13, 2001 12:00 AM

interesting! teachers should take advice from this, instead of trying to beat around the bush when a student asks a question. an honest answer is appreciated

Submit Your Comment:

Name:*

Display my name?

YesNo

Email:*

Your email address is kept private. Our editor needs it in case we have a question about your comment.

I just got married and have an important question: Can we eat rice on Passover? My wife grew up eating it, and I did not. Is this just a matter of family tradition?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat (or even possess) chametz all seven days of Passover (Exodus 13:3). "Chametz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) that came into contact with water for more than 18 minutes. Chametz is a serious Torah prohibition, and for that reason we take extra protective measures on Passover to prevent any mistakes.

Hence the category of food called "kitniyot" (sometimes referred to generically as "legumes"). This includes rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Even though kitniyot cannot technically become chametz, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat them on Passover. Why?

Products of kitniyot often appear like chametz products. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between rice flour (kitniyot) and wheat flour (chametz). Also, chametz grains may become inadvertently mixed together with kitniyot. Therefore, to prevent confusion, all kitniyot were prohibited.

In Jewish law, there is one important distinction between chametz and kitniyot. During Passover, it is forbidden to even have chametz in one's possession (hence the custom of "selling chametz"). Whereas it is permitted to own kitniyot during Passover and even to use it - not for eating - but for things like baby powder which contains cornstarch. Similarly, someone who is sick is allowed to take medicine containing kitniyot.

What about derivatives of kitniyot - e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict and only use olive or walnut oil.

Finally, there is one product called "quinoa" (pronounced "ken-wah" or "kin-o-ah") that is permitted on Passover even for Ashkenazim. Although it resembles a grain, it is technically a grass, and was never included in the prohibition against kitniyot. It is prepared like rice and has a very high protein content. (It's excellent in "cholent" stew!) In the United States and elsewhere, mainstream kosher supervision agencies certify it "Kosher for Passover" -- look for the label.

Interestingly, the Sefardi Jewish community does not have a prohibition against kitniyot. This creates the strange situation, for example, where one family could be eating rice on Passover - when their neighbors will not. So am I going to guess here that you are Ashkenazi and your wife is Sefardi. Am I right?

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (1194-1270), known as Nachmanides, and by the acronym of his name, Ramban. Born in Spain, he was a physician by trade, but was best-known for authoring brilliant commentaries on the Bible, Talmud, and philosophy. In 1263, King James of Spain authorized a disputation (religious debate) between Nachmanides and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo Christiani. Nachmanides reluctantly agreed to take part, only after being assured by the king that he would have full freedom of expression. Nachmanides won the debate, which earned the king's respect and a prize of 300 gold coins. But this incensed the Church: Nachmanides was charged with blasphemy and he was forced to flee Spain. So at age 72, Nachmanides moved to Jerusalem. He was struck by the desolation in the Holy City -- there were so few Jews that he could not even find a minyan to pray. Nachmanides immediately set about rebuilding the Jewish community. The Ramban Synagogue stands today in Jerusalem's Old City, a living testimony to his efforts.

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

It is the nature of a person to be influenced by his fellows and comrades (Rambam, Hil. De'os 6:1).

We can never escape the influence of our environment. Our life-style impacts upon us and, as if by osmosis, penetrates our skin and becomes part of us.

Our environment today is thoroughly computerized. Computer intelligence is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, but an everyday occurrence. Some computers can even carry out complete interviews. The computer asks questions, receives answers, interprets these answers, and uses its newly acquired information to ask new questions.

Still, while computers may be able to think, they cannot feel. The uniqueness of human beings is therefore no longer in their intellect, but in their emotions.

We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to become human computers that are devoid of feelings. Our culture is in danger of losing this essential aspect of humanity, remaining only with intellect. Because we communicate so much with unfeeling computers, we are in danger of becoming disconnected from our own feelings and oblivious to the feelings of others.

As we check in at our jobs, and the computer on our desk greets us with, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is Wednesday, and here is the agenda for today," let us remember that this machine may indeed be brilliant, but it cannot laugh or cry. It cannot be happy if we succeed, or sad if we fail.

Today I shall...

try to remain a human being in every way - by keeping in touch with my own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...